With the proliferation of consumer electronics hardware in vehicle applications, the need to incorporate existing non-automotive connection systems, such as USB connectors, is required. Since these standard, consumer electronics connection systems are not designed for the automotive environment and usage, they lack certain desireably attributes.
For the standard USB connection, the lack of a positive connector lock is a deficiency. See for instance U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,541 granted to Jun Wakino Dec. 10, 2002 for a USB cable fixture for preventing a USB connector from being unplugged. The lack of a positive lock in a USB connection is a particularly serious deficiency in automotive applications because the USB connectors can not be plugged in reliably in a vehicle assembly plant and can not be reliably expected to remain fully mated in operation due to vehicle vibration and shock.
A complete re-design of the USB connection interface for automotive usage is not feasible due to the expense involved and the desire to maintain the connection as close to the existing standard as possible. Consequently there is a need to provide a positive lock that can be used in a USB connection system that is easy, inexpensive and requires little if any modification of the standard USB connection system to make the USB connection system acceptable for automotive usage.